Clean it up
Dear Mr. Mayor: The litter on Highway 11 from Panaewa to Volcano is disgusting.
Take a ride and see for yourself.
Rik Parker
Volcano
Support the pilot
We all share the stress of recent events at the U.S. Capitol.
I remain a loyal, strong and proud American. I believe in our country and its principles of democracy.
My request is to have “God Bless America” and “Let There Be Peace On Earth” be sung not just once, but twice at my funeral service.
As we journey through our lives or daily business trying to reach things such as financial success, tending to the needs of our families and multitudes of personal or community needs, we must remember our responsibilities to contribute a little bit daily to the betterment of our community, our society and our country.
Now is a good time to reflect on the actions taken against our democracy and what it means for our country. We have a responsibility to create cultures free of racism, bias and social injustice. We must encourage people to nourish change by recognizing and stepping beyond their biases. We must forge inclusive communities where everyone is valued, and every voice is heard.
Take the time to think critically and understand compassionately. Create opportunities for balanced discussion and debate about issues of importance.
We all have a responsibility to do just a little bit better. Give a little more love to everyone you meet. A small smile, a warm aloha, and try daily to make our world a better place.
Remember, no matter what our backgrounds or philosophies might be when we board and fly on an airplane, we all should be cheering for the success of the pilot. If the plane goes down, we all go down. Remember that our country and community is like that airplane.
It is now our time to cheer and support our pilot and co-pilot — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Warren Chong
Kailua-Kona
Vaccination questions
Many here in Hawaii and throughout the nation who were reluctant to get the COVID-19 shot are beginning to change their minds about not doing so.
Many in the very first groups who have taken it when it was first made available have shown little to no side effects in doing so.
Because of this, more people are now registering to take the vaccine. And the fact that COVID-19 is on the rise, especially in California, plus a second strain found in a foreign country, these factors are now causing an increase in the demand for the vaccine, creating jammed computer systems for those trying to make appointments, thus pushing back appointment times further away.
Also, what happens when some do not show up for their scheduled shots? What happens to the unused vaccines? What is the shelf life of the vaccines?
Can those without appointments just show up to a site and be placed on standby in case there are no-shows? Can we just pick up one generic application, fill it out by hand and bring it with us to a vaccination site rather than dealing with an overloaded online “please try again later” registration site?
Rick LaMontagne
Hilo